Automated resin and fiber deposition for resin infusion

ABSTRACT

A composite structure is fabricated by laying up at least one ply of fiber reinforcement and at least one layer of resin on a tool. The resin film layer is formed by laying strips of resin film. The fiber reinforcement is infused with resin from the resin layer.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/521,455, filed Oct. 22, 2014, statusissued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,889,612, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein. U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/521,455 is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/168,990, filed Jun. 26, 2011, status issued as U.S. Pat. No.8,900,391, filed Dec. 2, 2014, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to the fabrication of compositestructures, and deals more particularly with a method and apparatus fordeposition of fiber reinforcements and resin film used to infuse thereinforcements with resin.

BACKGROUND

Large composite structures may be fabricated using automated equipmentsuch as automatic tape laying machines and automatic fiber placementmachines. These automated machines layup plies over a tool by layingdown multiple courses of prepreg tape or tows. Automated layup ofprepregs has several disadvantages, including the relatively the shortshelf-life of the prepreg materials, potential gumming of tape placementheads, the need for capital intensive autoclaves for curing andlimitations in the variety of prepreg formats that are available.

Some of the disadvantages mentioned above may be overcome using liquidmolding techniques such as, without limitation, resin infusion of fiberpreforms. However, the resin infusion process also has certaindisadvantages, including limited flexibility in controlling the locationand deposition of resin into conventional tooling and difficulties ininfusing high modulus and highly toughened resins into large structures.Also, resin infusion is time consuming and requires relatively complexbagging arrangements and resin transfer systems and may requiretechnicians to come into direct contact with resins. Furthermore, resininfusion may be relatively costly in terms of material waste andconsumables.

In order to improve resin distribution and reduce processing times, ithas been proposed to infuse fiber preforms using pieces of resin filmthat are sectioned from a large sheet and placed on a mandrel followedby a dry preform. A relatively complex dam and various consumables arerequired in order to control resin flow. Accordingly, the resin filminfusion process and equipment may not be well suited to higherproduction environments where automation is desirable.

Resin spray techniques have been employed in which resin is depositedusing a spray gun by automated means onto a tool. However this processrequires that the tool be maintained at low temperatures in order tocontrol the change of state in the resin from a liquid to a solid whentransferred from the spray gun to the tool.

Accordingly, there is a need for a method of fabricating compositestructures, particularly large scale structures, using a resin infusionprocess that reduces costs and is well suited to automation. There isalso a need for a method and apparatus for automated deposition of resinfilms that allow high laydown rates, improved control over resinquality, location and distribution and which permits the use of highmodulus and toughened resins.

SUMMARY

The disclosed method and apparatus provide automated deposition of resinfilms that may be used in resin infusion of fiber preforms to producelarge scale composite structures. The disclosed embodiments allowdeposition of resin in a tailored format meeting design and processrequirements, while reducing weight and achieving lean utilization ofenergy and materials. The disclosed automated resin deposition processmay reduce recurring costs while eliminating processing steps previouslyrequired to prepare materials. Improved quality and performance may beachieved through highly repeatable automation. Material waste may alsobe reduced while minimizing or eliminating direct contact betweenpersonnel and resins. The need for autoclave processing may beeliminated as well as the need for resin pots, plumbing and resinhandling facilities.

According to one disclosed embodiment, a method is provided offabricating a composite structure. The method comprises feeding a resinfilm to a compaction roller, moving the compaction roller along thesurface of the substrate, and compacting the film onto and/or into thesubstrate as the roller moves along the substrate. Feeding the resinfilm includes guiding a strip of the resin film to the compactionroller, and cutting the resin film to the desired lengths as thecompaction roller moves along the substrate surface. The method mayfurther comprise feeding a fiber reinforcement to a compaction roller,and compacting the fiber reinforcement on the substrate as the rollermoves along the substrate. The fiber reinforcement and the resin filmmay be fed to the compaction roller substantially simultaneously. Anautomatically controlled manipulator may be used to move the compactionroller along the substrate and place the strips of resin filmsubstantially edge-to-edge.

According to another disclosed embodiment, a method is provided offabricating a composite structure, comprising separately feeding a fiberreinforcement and a resin film to a compaction roller. The method alsoincludes moving the compaction roller along the surface of thesubstrate, and compacting resin film and the fiber reinforcement againstthe substrate using the compaction roller. Separately feeding the fiberreinforcement and the resin film may include drawing strips of the fiberreinforcement and the resin film from spools and guiding the strips tothe compaction roller. In one embodiment, the fiber reinforcement is fedbetween the substrate and the resin film, while in another embodimentthe resin film is fed between the substrate and the fiber reinforcement.The method further comprises cutting lengths of the fiber reinforcementand resin film as the compaction roller moves along the substratesurface.

According to a further embodiment, a method is provided of fabricating acomposite structure. The method comprises assembling a layup on a tool,including laying up at least one ply of fiber reinforcement on the tooland laying up at least one layer of resin on the tool by laying upstrips of a resin film. The method further comprises infusing the fiberreinforcement with resin from the resin layer. Laying up the strips ofresin film may include using an end effector to cut the resin film todesired lengths, and using the end effector to compact the film stripsagainst the tool. Infusing the fiber reinforcement may include sealing avacuum bag over the layup, evacuating the vacuum bag and applying heatto the layup.

According to still a further embodiment, apparatus is provided forfabricating a composite structure, comprising an end effector adapted tobe moved along the surface of a substrate, and a supply of resin film onthe end effector. The apparatus further comprises a compaction roller onthe end effector for compacting the resin film against the substrate asthe end effector moves along the substrate surface. The film supply mayinclude a spool of resin film, and the end effector may include a guidefor guiding the resin film from the spool to the compaction roller, anda cutter for cutting the resin film to the desired lengths. Theapparatus may also include a spool of fiber reinforcement on the endeffector and a guide for guiding the fiber reinforcement from the spoolto the compaction roller.

Other features, benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodimentswill become apparent from the following description of embodiments, whenviewed in accordance with the attached drawings and appended claims

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a diagram showing the steps of a method offabricating a composite structure using automated resin film deposition.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a cross sectional view of a vacuum baggedlayup assembly used in the fabrication method shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a functional block diagram of apparatus forlaying up plies of the layups shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a perspective view of one embodiment of theend effector forming part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a sectional view taken along the line 5-5in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a side view of another embodiment of theend effector.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of the area designated as “FIG. 7” in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of a side view of a further embodiment of theend effector.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of the area designated as “FIG. 9” in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an illustration of still another embodiment of the endeffector.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of a flow diagram of a method of forming thelayups shown in FIG. 1 using the disclosed end effector.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of a flow diagram of aircraft production andservice methodology.

FIG. 13 is an illustration of a block diagram of an aircraft.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring first to FIG. 1 a composite structure 20 may be fabricatedusing standard or non-standard tooling 22 and automated layup. In theillustrated example, the composite structure 20 is a flat panel formedon substantially flat tooling 22 supported on a tool base 24, however,other tooling 22 geometries may be employed, including those havingsimple or complex contours. As shown at 28, a manipulator 27 comprisinga robot, gantry system or other handling system is automaticallycontrolled by a controller 30 and includes an end effector 26 for layingup multiple layers 50 and plies 52 on tooling 22.

As shown at 31, the layers 50 and plies 52 are laid up using spools 32,34 of continuous resin film and dry fiber reinforcement, respectively.The resin film may be selected to achieve effective resin distributionover and impregnation of the dry fiber reinforcement, using roboticprocesses. The resin film may be a thermoset such, such as, withoutlimitation, a thermoset epoxy bismaleimide or benzoxazine, alternativelyhowever the resin film may be a thermoplastic or a combination of athermoset and thermoplastic. The resin film may contain tougheningagents, including organic or inorganic fillers. The reinforcement may beany continuous fiber format. The resin film is calculated to provide adesired areal weight, thickness, physical state and chemical state inorder to meet processing requirements for achieving effectivedeposition, consolidation, cure and laminate properties.

The spools 32, 34 are respectively loaded into creels 32 a, 34 a whichare mounted on the end effector 26 shown at 36. As the end effector 26is moved over the tool 22 by the manipulator 27, strips 38, 40 of resinfilm and dry fiber respectively are drawn from the creels 32 a, 34 a andare fed to a compaction roller 42, in substantially aligned, overlappingrelationship to each other. The compaction roller 42 compacts theoverlapping strips 38, 40 onto a substrate 44 which may comprise anysuitable supporting surface, such as, without limitation, the tooling 22or an underlying layer 50 or ply 52 that has been previously laid upeither manually or automatically by the end effector 26. The endeffector 26 lays up courses 98 of the strips 38, 40 in edge-to-edgegenerally parallel relationship to each other. As will be discussedbelow, the end effector 26 may be used to lay down double layer courses98 comprising a layer of resin film 38, and a layer (ply) of fiberreinforcement 40 as discussed above, or alternatively, may be used tolay down a single layer course of either the resin film 38 or the fiberreinforcement 40.

As shown at 46, the end effector 26 may be used to assemble a layup 48 acomprising a stack 50 a of individual resin layers 50 that are laid upover a stack 52 a of fiber reinforcement plies 52. Plies 52 may havedifferent fiber orientations, according to a predetermined ply schedulefor a particular structure. Alternatively, a layup 48 b may be formed byalternately laying up interleafed layers 50 of resin film 38 and plies52 of fiber reinforcement 40, using the double layer strips 98 describedpreviously. After the layup 48 has been assembled on tooling 22, asshown at 54, the layup 48 may be compacted and cured usingout-of-autoclave processes, such as vacuum bag processing and ovencuring. For example, referring to FIG. 2, a layup 48 a assembled ontooling 22 comprises a stack 50 a of resin layers 50 laid up over astack 52 a of fiber reinforcement plies 52 of desired fiberorientations. Other layers 62 of consumables, such as breathers, peelplies, etc. are placed over the layup 48 a. A vacuum bag 49 is placedover the layup 48 a and sealed to the tooling 22 by edge seals 64 whichmay comprise conventional sealant tape. A suitable vacuum source 66 iscoupled with the bag 49 in order to evacuate the bag 49 of air, moistureand volatiles.

Returning to FIG. 1, as shown at 56, the vacuum bagged layup 48 a isplaced in an oven 58 where heat 60 is used to cure the layup 48 a. Otherequipment may be employed to heat the layup 48 a, such as, withoutlimitation, autoclaves, microwaves, integrally heated molds, etc., allnot shown. During the curing process, the heat 60 melts the resin layers50, allowing a controlled amount of resin to flow into the fiberreinforcement plies 52 substantially uniformly, thereby infusing thefiber reinforcement with resin as compaction pressure is applied to thelayup 48 a through the vacuum bag 49 (FIG. 2).

FIG. 3 broadly illustrates the functional components of apparatus thatmay be used in carrying out the method of fabricating compositestructures shown in FIG. 1. The end effector 26 is mounted on amanipulator 27 and includes a compaction control 85 which controls theamount of compaction pressure applied by the compaction roller 42. Acontroller 30, which may comprise any suitable programmed computer,controls the operation of the manipulator 27, the compaction control 85and functions of the end effector 26. The end effector 26 includes aresin film spool 32 and a fiber reinforcement spool 34 respectivelycontained in creels 32 a, 34 a. Strips 38, 40 of the resin film andfiber reinforcement are respectively directed by guides 82, 84 to acutting mechanism 88 and compaction roller 42. The cutting mechanism 88cuts the strips 38, 40 to the desired length as the strips 38, 40 arebeing compacted onto a substrate 44 by the compaction roller 42. The endeffector may further includes a backing paper take-up reel 96 whichtakes up a backing paper 94 on the resin film strip as the backing paper94 is peeled way from the resin film strip 38 after passing throughguides 82, immediately before being compacted against the substrate 44.The compaction control 85 as well as other functions of the end effector26 may be controlled by the controller 30 as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates additional details of one embodiment of the endeffector 26. Creels 32 a, 34 a, take-up reel 96 and cutting mechanism 88are mounted on a frame 74. The frame 74 includes a plate 72 that isslideably mounted on a second plate 70 secured to an arm 68 of themanipulator 27. A pneumatic cylinder 76 secured to plate has an outputshaft 78 coupled with plate 72. The pneumatic cylinder 76 moves plate 72and thus the frame 74 in the direction shown by arrow 80 toward or awayfrom the substrate 44.

The sliding assembly of the plates 70, 72 along with pneumatic cylinder76 provide a compaction control 85 that allows the compaction pressureapplied by the roller 42 to be adjusted. A resin film strip 38 drawnfrom the creel 32 a passes through a guide 82 which directs the resinfilm strip 38 to a nip 86 between the compaction roller 42 and thesubstrate 44. The resin film strip 38 may include a backing paper 94 toprevent the wound layers of the resin film 38 on the spool 32 (FIG. 1)from adhering to each other. The backing paper 94 is peeled away fromthe resin film 38 after the latter passes through the guide 82, and iswrapped around the take-up reel 96.

The creels 32 a, 34 a are substantially aligned with each other in thedirection of travel 75 of the end effector 26 over the substrate 44,such that the resin film strip 38 and the fiber reinforcement strip 40overlap and are substantially aligned with each other when deposited andconsolidated onto the substrate 44 by the compaction roller 42. Strips38, 40 are drawn from the creels 32 a, 34 a at substantially the samerate and respectively pass through guides 82, 84 which direct the strips38, 40 in overlying relationship into the nip 86. The cutting mechanism88 may comprise a pneumatic cylinder 92 secured to the frame 74 whichreciprocates a cutting blade 90. The cutting blade 90 simultaneouslycuts the strips 38, 40 to the desired lengths.

The resin film strip 38 is consolidated by the compaction roller 42beneath the dry fiber strip 40. The tackiness of the resin film strip 38serves as an adhesive which forms a moderate bond with the substrate 44and the fiber strip 40 under which it is placed. In some embodiments,depending on the particular resin system that is employed, it may benecessary or desirable to heat the resin film strip 38 to increase itstackiness as it enters the nip 86. This heating process may be achievedusing any of a variety of techniques and devices, such as withoutlimitation, an infrared heater, a gas torch or a laser (all not shown).The areal weight of the resin film strip 38 may be predefined to controlthe fiber volume fraction of the cured structure 20 (FIG. 1). Althoughnot shown in FIG. 4, the guides 82, 84 may incorporate roller driveswhich initially draw strips 38, 40 from the creels 32 a, 34 a until thestrips enter the nip 86. Once the strips 38, 40 enter the nip 86,movement of the end effector 26 draws the strips 38, 40 from the creels32 a, 34 a and the roller drives may be de-energized. Additional detailsof guides, rollers, threading mechanisms and drives for controlling thepath and movement of the strips 38, 40 on the end effector 26 may befound in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,699,683 and 7,213,629, 7,681,615, and8,557,074 all of which patents are incorporated by reference herein.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a double layer strip 98 is laid downon the substrate 44 in which resin film strip 38 is sandwiched betweenthe substrate 22 and the overlying fiber reinforcement strip 40. Thisarrangement allows layup of interleafed resin layers 50 and fiberreinforcement plies 52 to form the layup 48 b shown in FIG. 1. The endeffector 26 shown in FIG. 4 may also be used to lay up single layerstrips 98 comprising only the resin film strip 38 or only the fiberreinforcement strip by controlling the drives previously discussed inconnection with the guides 82, 84, and/or by removing one of the spools32, 34 (FIG. 3) from the creels 32 a, 34 a.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the end effector 26,similar to that shown in FIG. 5, but which is dedicated to laying downcourses 98 of the resin film 38 on a substrate 34, which may be a dryfiber preform. As previously mentioned, the substrate 44 may comprise atool 22, a layer 50 of previously laid resin film (FIG. 2) or a ply 52of a fiber reinforcement. Resin film strip 38 drawn from a creel 32 apasses through a guide 82 which directs the strip 38 to the nip 86between the substrate 22 and a compaction roller 42 which compacts thestrip 38 against the substrate. A take-up reel 96 takes up a backingpaper 94 which is peeled away from the strip 38 after the resin filmstrip 38 has been consolidated under the compaction roller 42. Thisreduces the possibility of the roller 42 becoming gummed by the resinand allows easier cutting of the strip 38. FIG. 7 illustrates a resinfilm strip 38 after having been deposited and compacted against thesubstrate 44, after the backing paper 94 has been peeled away.

FIG. 8 illustrates a further embodiment of the end effector 26 which maybe used to lay down multi-layer courses 98 in which the fiberreinforcement 40 is disposed between the substrate 44 and resin filmstrip 38 as shown in FIG. 9. In this embodiment, the creels 32 a, 34 aare positioned on the frame 74 such that the fiber strip 40 ispositioned between the resin film strip 38 and the substrate 44 as itenters the nip 86 between the compaction roller 42 and the substrate 44.The backing paper 94 may remain on the resin film strips 38 and bepeeled away at a later time, thereby reducing the possibility of theresin coming into contact with personnel. Following removal of thebacking paper 94, the exposed layer 50 (FIG. 1) formed by the depositedresin film strips 38 provides a tacky surface to which a dry fiberpreform or other substrate may adhere. Alternatively, in anotherembodiment, the backing paper 94 may be peeled away on the fly androlled onto a take-up reel 96.

Attention is now directed to FIG. 10 which illustrates still anotherembodiment of the end effector 26. In this embodiment, creels 32 a, 34 aare located on separate frames 74 a, 74 b which are mounted on a commonsupport 77 connected to an arm 68 of the manipulator 27. The creels 32a, 34 a are aligned with each other in the direction of travel 75 andrespectively feed resin film strips 38 and fiber reinforcement strips 40to independent compaction rollers 42 a, 42 b. Cutting mechanisms 86 a,86 b are mounted on the frames 74 a, 74 b for independently cutting thestrips 38, 40 to the desired lengths. Separate compaction controls 85 a,85 b between the frames 74 a, 74 b and the common support 77 allow thecompaction force applied by the rollers 42 a, 42 b to be adjustedindependently of each other. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, thefiber strips 40 are deposited before the resin strips 38, however, byreversing the position of the two frames 74 a, 74 b, the resin stripsmay be deposited before the fiber strips 40 are deposited.

Attention is now directed to FIG. 11 which illustrates the steps of amethod of depositing resin film, and optionally for depositing fiberreinforcement along with the deposited resin film. Beginning at step100, a spool 32 of resin film is loaded into a creel 32 a on an endeffector 26. Depending on the particular resin system that is used, itmay be necessary or desirable to refrigerate or otherwise cool the spool32 and/or creel 32 a prior to use. At 102, a strip 38 of the resin filmis fed to a guide 82 and at 104, the guide 82 is used to guide the resinfilm strip 38 to a compaction roller 42. In those applications where afiber reinforcement strip 40 is also being deposited, the resin filmstrip 38 may be guided under or over the reinforcement fiber strip 40.At 106, the resin film strip 38 is cut to the desired length as it isbeing drawn from the creel 34 a.

At 108, the backing paper 94 from the resin film strip 38 may beoptionally removed and taken up on a take-up reel 96 as the resin filmstrip 38 is being compacted against the substrate 44 by the compactionroller 42. At 110, the compaction roller 42 is used to compact thecut-to-length strips 38 of resin film onto the substrate 44, which aspreviously discussed, may comprise tooling 22, a previously laid layerof resin 50, or a previously laid ply 52 of fiber reinforcement. At 122,the end effector 26 is moved over the substrate 44 in order to lay downa strip 38 of the resin film and compact the strip 38 against thesubstrate 44. Depending on the particular resin system that is employed,it may be necessary to heat the resin film strip 38 immediately prior toits compaction against the substrate 44 so that the film strip 38possesses the desired tackiness needed to cause it to adhere to thesubstrate 44 during the compaction process.

Optional steps 112-120 may be carried out in order to layup strips 40 offiber reinforcement as the resin film strips 38 are being laid down onthe substrate 44. Beginning at 112, a spool of fiber reinforcement isloaded into a creel 34 a on the end effector 26. At 114, a strip 40 ofthe fiber reinforcement is fed to a guide 84. The guide 84 directs thefiber reinforcement strip 40 to the compaction roller 42, either over orbeneath the resin film strip 38. At 118, the fiber reinforcement strip40 is cut to the desired length and is compacted on the substrate 44 atstep 120.

Embodiments of the disclosure may find use in a variety of potentialapplications, particularly in the transportation industry, including forexample, aerospace, marine and automotive applications. Thus, referringnow to FIGS. 12 and 13, embodiments of the disclosure may be used in thecontext of an aircraft manufacturing and service method 124 as shown inFIG. 12 and an aircraft 126 as shown in FIG. 13. Aircraft applicationsof the disclosed embodiments may include, for example, withoutlimitation, composite stiffened members such as fuselage skins, wingskins, control surfaces, hatches, floor panels, door panels, accesspanels and empennages, to name a few. During pre-production, exemplarymethod 124 may include specification and design 128 of the aircraft 126and material procurement 130. During production, component andsubassembly manufacturing 132 and system integration 134 of the aircraft126 takes place. Thereafter, the aircraft 126 may go throughcertification and delivery 136 in order to be placed in service 138.While in service by a customer, the aircraft 126 is scheduled forroutine maintenance and service 140 (which may also includemodification, reconfiguration, refurbishment, and so on).

Each of the processes of method 124 may be performed or carried out by asystem integrator, a third party, and/or an operator (e.g., a customer).For the purposes of this description, a system integrator may includewithout limitation any number of aircraft manufacturers and major-systemsubcontractors; a third party may include without limitation any numberof vendors, subcontractors, and suppliers; and an operator may be anairline, leasing company, military entity, service organization, and soon.

As shown in FIG. 13, the aircraft 126 produced by exemplary method 124may include an airframe 142 with a plurality of systems 144 and aninterior 146. Examples of high-level systems 144 include one or more ofa propulsion system 148, an electrical system 150, a hydraulic system152, and an environmental system 154. Any number of other systems may beincluded. Although an aerospace example is shown, the principles of thedisclosure may be applied to other industries, such as the marine andautomotive industries.

Systems and methods embodied herein may be employed during any one ormore of the stages of the production and service method 124. Forexample, components or subassemblies corresponding to production process132 may be fabricated or manufactured in a manner similar to componentsor subassemblies produced while the aircraft 126 is in service. Also,one or more apparatus embodiments, method embodiments, or a combinationthereof may be utilized during the production stages 132 and 134, forexample, by substantially expediting assembly of or reducing the cost ofan aircraft 126. Similarly, one or more of apparatus embodiments, methodembodiments, or a combination thereof may be utilized while the aircraft126 is in service, for example and without limitation, to maintenanceand service 140.

Although the embodiments of this disclosure have been described withrespect to certain exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood thatthe specific embodiments are for purposes of illustration and notlimitation, as other variations will occur to those of skill in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of fabricating a composite structure,the method comprising: connecting a frame on an arm of a manipulator;feeding a dry fiber reinforcement from a first spool on the framethrough a first guide and onto a substrate; feeding an unreinforcedresin film on a backing paper from a second spool on the frame through asecond guide; peeling the backing paper from the unreinforced resin filmand taking up the backing paper onto a take-up reel on the frame;feeding the unreinforced resin film onto the dry fiber reinforcement;guiding the unreinforced resin film and the dry fiber reinforcement intoa substantially aligned overlapping relationship; moving a compactionroller laterally along the substrate and generating, with a firstpneumatic cylinder mounted on the arm and the frame at an end located ona side of the take-up reel away from the second spool, a force on thecompaction roller into the substrate and thereby compacting theunreinforced resin film and the dry fiber reinforcement between thecompaction roller and the substrate; cutting, using a cutting bladeconnected to a second pneumatic cylinder connected to the frame, theunreinforced resin film and the dry fiber reinforcement while moving thecompaction roller laterally along the substrate and forming a layup; andcompacting the layup and uniformly infusing resin from the unreinforcedresin film into the dry fiber reinforcement and curing the layup intothe composite structure.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:vacuum bagging the layup in an out-of-autoclave process comprisingplacing a breather and a peel ply between a vacuum bag and the layup,and oven curing the layup.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein theunreinforced resin film and the dry fiber reinforcement are fed to thecompaction roller, and then compacted on the substrate substantiallysimultaneously.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising cutting thedry fiber reinforcement to a strip of a desired length while moving thecompaction roller laterally along a surface of the substrate.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: feeding the unreinforced resinfilm to the compaction roller in strips; and automatically controllingthe arm and thereby moving the compaction roller along the substrate andplacing the strips of the unreinforced resin film substantiallyedge-to-edge.
 6. A method of infusing a dry fiber reinforcement with aresin and curing a layup, the method comprising: separately andsimultaneously feeding the dry fiber reinforcement and an unreinforcedresin film with a backing paper, from a first creel and a second creelon a frame on an arm of a manipulator through a first guide and a secondguide, respectively, and onto a substrate; peeling, between the secondguide and the substrate, the backing paper from the unreinforced resinfilm and taking up the backing paper onto a take-up reel; cutting boththe dry fiber reinforcement and the unreinforced resin film afterpassing through the first guide and the second guide, respectively, witha single blade connected to the frame by a pneumatic cylinder; moving acompaction roller laterally over the substrate in a direction towardsthe second creel; forcing, using a second pneumatic cylinder, thecompaction roller against the substrate and thereby compacting theunreinforced resin film and the dry fiber reinforcement against thesubstrate and forming the layup, the second pneumatic cylinder beingmounted on one of two plates slidably mounted to each other and mountedonto the arm and to an end of the frame located on a side of the take-upreel located away from the second creel; and further compacting thelayup and uniformly infusing the resin, from the unreinforced resinfilm, into the dry fiber reinforcement and curing the layup into acomposite structure.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:drawing a strip of the dry fiber reinforcement from the first creel,wherein the first creel holds a fiber supply spool; drawing a strip ofthe unreinforced resin film from the second creel, wherein the secondcreel holds a resin film supply spool; guiding the strips of the dryfiber reinforcement and the unreinforced resin film to the compactionroller; and vacuum bagging and oven curing the layup in anout-of-autoclave process.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein: the dryfiber reinforcement is fed between the substrate and the unreinforcedresin film; and compacting the unreinforced resin film and the dry fiberreinforcement includes the compaction roller compacting the unreinforcedresin film onto the dry fiber reinforcement.
 9. The method of claim 6,wherein: the unreinforced resin film is fed between the substrate andthe dry fiber reinforcement; and compacting the unreinforced resin filmand the dry fiber reinforcement includes the compaction rollercompacting the dry fiber reinforcement onto the unreinforced resin film.10. The method of claim 6, further comprising: cutting lengths of thedry fiber reinforcement and the unreinforced resin film while moving thecompaction roller laterally along a surface of the substrate.
 11. Amethod of a fabricating a composite structure, the method comprising:assembling a layup on a tool by performing the following steps: feedinga dry fiber reinforcement from a first spool connected to a first frameconnected to an arm of a manipulator and through a first guide andlaying up the dry fiber reinforcement onto the tool; cutting the dryfiber reinforcement using a first blade connected to the first frame bya first pneumatic cylinder; moving a first compaction roller, connectedto the first frame, laterally along the dry fiber reinforcement on thetool; feeding an unreinforced resin film from a second spool connectedto a second frame connected to the arm through a second guide andthereafter removing a backing paper from the unreinforced resin film andtaking up the backing paper onto a take-up reel connected to the secondframe; laying up the unreinforced resin film as an overlay on the dryfiber reinforcement on the tool; and cutting, using a second bladeconnected to a second pneumatic cylinder connected to the second frame,the unreinforced resin film into strips of desired lengths; forcing asecond compaction roller toward the tool with a force generated by athird pneumatic cylinder mounted on the second frame on an assemblycomprising plates slidably mounted to each other and connected to thesecond frame at an end on a side of the take-up reel away from thesecond spool, and thereby compacting the unreinforced resin film and thedry fiber reinforcement between the second compaction roller and thetool; moving the second compaction roller, connected to the secondframe, laterally along the unreinforced resin film on the dry fiberreinforcement on the tool; and further compacting the layup anduniformly infusing a resin of the unreinforced resin film into the dryfiber reinforcement, and curing the layup into the composite structure.12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plates slidably mounted to eachother comprise a first plate connected to the arm and a second plateconnected to the second frame.
 13. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising vacuum bagging and curing the layup in an out-of-autoclaveprocess comprising: sealing a vacuum bag over the layup; evacuating thevacuum bag; and oven curing the layup.
 14. The method of claim 11,further comprising, guiding the unreinforced resin film and the dryfiber reinforcement into a substantially aligned overlappingrelationship while laying up the unreinforced resin film and the dryfiber reinforcement onto the tool.
 15. An out-of-autoclave method forfabricating a composite structure, the method comprising: feeding anunreinforced resin film, on a backing paper from a first spool on aframe connected to an arm of a manipulator, through a first guide;peeling the backing paper from the unreinforced resin film and taking upthe backing paper onto a take-up reel on the frame; feeding theunreinforced resin film onto a substrate; feeding a dry fiberreinforcement from a second spool on the frame through a second guideand onto an overlapping relationship with the unreinforced resin film;moving a compaction roller laterally along the substrate and generating,with a first pneumatic cylinder mounted on the arm and the frame at anend located on a side of the take-up reel away from the first spool, aforce on the compaction roller into the substrate and thereby compactingthe unreinforced resin film and the dry fiber reinforcement between thecompaction roller and the substrate; cutting, using a cutting bladeconnected to the frame, the unreinforced resin film and the dry fiberreinforcement while moving the compaction roller laterally along thesubstrate and forming a layup; and using an out-of-autoclave process ofvacuum bagging comprising placing a breather and a peel ply between avacuum bag and the layup, uniformly infusing resin from the unreinforcedresin film into the dry fiber reinforcement.
 16. The method of claim 15,further comprising: controlling, using a controller, the manipulator andthe force on the compaction roller into the substrate.
 17. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the unreinforced resin film and the dry fiberreinforcement are fed to the compaction roller, and then compactedsubstantially simultaneously.
 18. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising connecting the frame to the arm by slideably mounting a plateon the frame to a second plate on the arm of the manipulator.
 19. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising: feeding the unreinforced resinfilm to the compaction roller in strips; and automatically controllingthe arm and thereby moving the compaction roller along the substrate andplacing the strips of the unreinforced resin film substantiallyedge-to-edge.
 20. The method of claim 15, further comprising coupling afirst plate on the frame to an output shaft from a pneumatic cylindersecured to a second plate on the arm of the manipulator.